My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead

I'm going to write about a book that is written about a book. It's book-nerd heaven around here, but if you wanna come back tomorrow I'll forgive you!

I just wanted to write a little about how wonderful I thought Rebecca Mead's My Life in Middlemarchwas in comparison to other literary criticism/memoir books out there. (I'm looking at you A Jane Austen Education.) I found this insightful presentation of Middlemarch, George Eliot, and Rebecca's own personal experiences a really enjoyable read, which is hard to say without the subject matter being treated disrespectfully or dumbed down, while at the same time being applicable to our modern day life in an approachable way.

I think those of us who really love Middlemarch are kind of a breed unto ourselves. We've come to love the novel full of complex characters in which we can see ourselves in, the smallness of the town, the movement of life within it - there is something so unique to the novel that draws you in on at a very deep level. I think it's because Middlemarch so completely creates its own universe which is so deeply relatable, and so very universal. I wonder how many of us have read the novel and felt exactly like Dorothea at the beginning of the story; bursting with untapped ambition to do great things, to help the world, to mine our souls for storied courage and greatness. But as we all age and come to know the truth about life as it really is, we begin to see the other characters, Fred, Dr. Lydgate, Mary Garth, Rev. Farebrother with a different, more sympathetic eye. It is a novel about the truths of life like no other.

Mead approaches the book in a thoughtful, humble fashion which makes it so much more comforting to journey with the characters of Middlemarch again. She does a fine job bringing out key components of the story while mirroring it to the life of Eliot. It was interesting reading deeper into Eliot's life and writing alongside the familiar story. George Eliot was a difficult figure to sum up, but I believe she was treated fairly throughout, with neither pretension or awestruck reverence. Mead's deft hand at bringing in own strands of her life in relation to the novel was well done and didn't override the other aspects of the book, but brought the right amount of relatable personality to the book that I think many fans could relate to as well.

I have the upmost respect for a writer who writes about a novel they love. It must be incredibly trying to bring together a clear picture that does justice to the novel and it's genius author without becoming a complete fangirl. I appreciated both the honesty with which this book is written and it's respect and love for the book I too, respect and love so much. It was really a treat to spend time with another Middlemarch lover, George Eliot herself, and to linger in the town of Middlemarch a little longer. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has loved, or even liked, Middlemarch at one time or another, and to anyone who wants a personal account of how great literature can impact your life; or if you're  tempted to read A Jane Austen Education.


Joining Jessica, at Housewifespice for What We're Reading Wednesdays. 












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Seven Quick Takes vol. 92

Joining Kathryn today, as Jen takes a couple weeks off, because she hasn't been busy at all...

{one}

Please pray for the soul and family of Fr. Kenneth Walker. He was murdered this week in his rectory in Phoenix. We went to the same itsy-bitsy, wonderful university and overlapped each other for a year. He was a very kind, joyful, brilliant, funny guy with a humble, devout faith. I'm sure he was a wonderful priest. It's really incomprehensible to understand such violence and it's destructive effects. His family and parish have been in my thoughts since I heard the news, Requiescant in pace Fr. Ken.

{two}

Everything I now write feels awful and foolish in light of that news. Especially since we had a pretty run of the mill week. Rainy days, soccer ending for the season, yard work, babies not sleeping; very regular. It's hard to imagine such tragedy in such regular days. And hard to picture regular when tragedy happens. It really just makes me want to read Flannery O'Connor. 

{three}

Dom was outside playing and riding his bike for a while before I came out to watch them, I asked him what he was doing and he told me, "I'm pretending I'm an orphan who's a bike racer and likes playing soccer." I asked him why he wanted to pretend to be an orphan and he said, "Because if he doesn't have a mom he can bike race really, really, fast." 

It's good character development, I won't knock it.

{four}

I have an on again/off again relationship with New Girl. I think we're on again for the summer. 

{five}

You know who has plans for Father's Day? Not me. Every year...I swear I'm going to come up with big plans...and every year....notta. Pinterest this, blog fancy schmany that...I'm fairly certain I'll make him a good breakfast, maybe a pie and call it a day. Whatever love language planning is, it's not mine.

{six}

My little Max is outside playing in a mud puddle and it's adorable. I just love watching little toddlers play when they're unawares. It's honestly the greatest. When he's not screaming he's really the cutest little guy. I really don't want to forget how he says "Wookie" for Luke. "Wookie" is his favourite and has to look at everything Max thinks is cool, and go wherever Max goes, and must listen to every Max demand. But the "Wookie" part is quite sweet. 

{seven}

I know these were painfully quick, have ya read:

NFP PSA ASAP(This Ain't The Lyceum)-Because I agree with all of it. Boom.

My Everyday Makeup Routine(Cedars and Tiny Flowers) - I don't know if I can believe just those few products make Katrina so beautiful, but I always love a good makeup share, and she's giving stuff away!

G.K. Chesterton Book Giveaway(Brandon Vogt) - Since Brandon is discriminatory towards Canadians, one of you American friends better win this awesome giveaway!

Happy Weekend, go forth and do all the Father's Day things!

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5 Classic Movies for Summer

It's finally summer and we all can feel the sweet freedom of lazy days and the luxury of slow, long evenings. It's these summer evenings that call for a great classic movie! Whether it be a romantic night in, watching with the family, or hanging out with a couple friends, classic movies are great because they appeal to everyone! Here's a perfect mix to make for great summer viewing:

Sabrina

The perfect romance that I love watching every summer. What more do you need than Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Paris? It'll have you dancing to "Isn't It Romantic" out on your lawn in no time!

       

High Society

I could not let you go a whole summer without watching a good musical. High Society is one the mixes the unmatched chemistry of Sinatra, Bing, and Kelly together with the great music of Cole Porter. It has a summer feel in it's creation of a world set apart with the fun of Frank Sinatra!

The Big Sleep

A glamorous noir film that stars Bogie as the classic dark, handsome, and lonely gumshoe who helps the sultry and illusive Becall out of the bad fix she's in. The pair make this film especially enjoyable to watch even if you're not into dark noir movies. A summer evening filled with mystery and popcorn, maybe while waiting out a thunderstorm sounds like a memory waiting to happen!

 

  Some Like It Hot

Possibly the most hilarious film of all time, Some Like It Hot is a great movie to watch in the summer. I love the scenes on the beach in Florida -  Jack Lemmon and Tony Kurtis resplendent in their bathing suits! Marilyn Monroe is a comedic genius in this movie and makes every scene sparkle. A must see to refresh your sense of humour and give you a quick two hour vacation!

North By Northwest

One of my top five favourite movies of all time, this Hitchcock masterpiece is the epitome of a good thriller. Mistaken identity, a cross-country chase, a train ride of romance; the perfect recipe for a great summer evening. Pour yourself a drink, (or just enjoy Cary Grant for the tall glass of water he is), and settle in to evening that will remind you how good movies can be!

Older movies can be hard to track down, but I noticed that all these movies are available to rent from Amazon Instant Video for $2.99, which is a steal! Unfortnuately for us in Canada this service hasn't made it's way up here yet, so American friends take advantage. This post contains affiliate links, thanks so much for clicking!

Linking up with Hallie for Five Favs! 

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Seven Quick Takes vol. 91

Happy Friday - check out the better takes at Conversion Diary!

{one}

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers after my really embarrassing tumble on Sunday. Thankfully I've been able to be mobile and my back isn't too terrible but I have a huge, swollen bruise on my back that is hopelessly grotesque and ugly and painful if I sit down, or walk wrong. It's all so embarrassing. But then I think of falling and being immobile with five little kids and the ensuing chaos of what would become of us all and I'm thankful. But it's been a literal pain in my ass all week, and I'm walking around like an old lady and no exercising happened resulting in me feeling really lazy. 

{two}

I'd really like to know what happened in my parenting of toddlers between boy number two and boy number three. (You know, that long period of 22 months.) I swear most of my parenting techniques are the same, and boys will be boys and all that, but Max is a tyrant. So much screaming. I'm telling ya, he was born with an innate capacity for loud noises. He's also so incredibly stubborn that the screams last so long and he's willing to deploy them at any time no matter how small or trivial the dilemma. It's exhausting. Doesn't want banana for breakfast? Twenty minutes of screaming. Doesn't want to walk anymore? Lies on the ground and screams for ten minutes. Every demand is a scream. He's really a total card, hilarious, really loves his sibling (and me), adventurous, fun. But the screaming. I just want to know how many more years it'll take for him to grow out of so I can begin slowly crossing off the days on the calendar or something.

{three}

We watched an episode of Burn Notice last night and Michael Westen was describing torture techniques used to get spies to talk. They included sleep deprivation and assaults to the senses including loud uncontrollable noises for long periods of time. The result is not spontaneous truth telling, but an exhausted state that inhibits the use of the mind to keep stories straight. And then it hit me - MOMMY BRAIN. That is mommy brain. The result of psychological torture. Anyway, I can relate to those poor CIA agents now...

{four}

Dom lost his first tooth yesterday. He's five which seems entirely too young for this type of thing to be happening. Has he been applying to colleges already too?!?! But he ended up eating it along with his sandwich for lunch. He was a little heartbroken and made me write a note for the tooth fairy explaining this difficulty. 

{five}

The thing I do love about toddlers is how they speak. Not the amount of language, because we all know it's a little too sparse for basic communication purposes, but their sweet lisps and funny pronunciations. Dominic had the hardest time pronouncing s's for a long time. He used to say " 'kunk on a 'cooter" for "skunk on a scooter" and we would get him to say it for us whenever we needed a laugh because it was the cutest thing. Max is now speaking more (finally!) but he pronounces his s's with f's sooo, it's just hilarious. I'll be the first to admit I might not get mom of the year because I get him to say "sucker" and "soccer" throughout the day when I need a pick me up. It's the little things.

{six}

It is finally time for the trees to be blooming up here! It's my favourite time of year, and I never thought I'd be any sort of gardener type. But I truly love this old apple tree in our yard. Remember we moved into this house right after we were married and thought we'd move in six months? Well, almost eight years later we still operate under this assumption and haven't done anything to our yard, five kids also helped in this direction. But the apple tree I love.  And I've taken baby pictures with it every year, and it's a problem because I'm sure everyone else is sick to death of them all! But in case you're not...

Turns out I missed 2008...fail!

{seven}

I can't remember what else I wanted to say today...

But I am so excited about all these babies being born in the blogging world! Sarah's, Olivia's and now Dwija's! What a lovely crop of boys! 

Oh, and you've checked out Sarah's great ebook Teaching From Rest haven't you? I was listening to the podcasts last night and have really gotten so many great ideas and inspiration from them. Now to keep that going through the summer...

Have you heard any new podcasts lately? The Little Oratory series at Heart of My Home has been wonderful and I so enjoy hearing Auntie Leila's sweet voice! Also, Edie at Life in Grace has been posting a lovely podcast series on vocation and gifts which has been great food for thought for me. 

And with that I'll wish you a happy weekend and Feast of Pentecost this Sunday!

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How To Give Yourself No Expectations for Life Postpartum - A Guest Post

My lovely blogging friend Olivia from To The Heights just had her first bundle of joy last week and asked me to write up a little guest post. Olivia's blog is a great mix of interesting topics from marriage, to health, to life as a Catholic. I really enjoy all she writes so it was an honour to be able to post for her!

Olivia requested something about advice I'd give for life postpartum and this post is the best I could come up with. I honestly tried not to be a Debbie Downer, but I find that there's not a lot of places to find genuine honesty about life postpartum, especially in our culture today which places so much importance on having the perfect birth, the perfect recovery, the perfect baby. (Mostly because you're only going to go through it one time!) But life postpartum, like motherhood itself, can be both good and difficult - and you've gotta talk about all of it. I hope to encourage those of us who may not have had our desired level of comfort right after birth or struggled with postpartum depression. And now I'll stop blabbing because clearly I could write several postpartum posts!

Do go check it out at To The Heights, and congratulate Olivia on her sweet son!

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What I've Been Reading Lately - Book Notes

For some reason I haven't written about any books I've read lately so I thought I'd do a quick recap or else I'll be bogged down with book reviews around here. And I won't have a reader left!



Here's what I've been reading:



The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I recently read Donna Tartt's first novel The Secret History, and was impressed with how well done it was and how much it pulled me into the story for being what I thought would be an unappealing plot-line. But Donna Tartt's brilliance as a writer succeeds in pulling the reader into a different world, with surprising emotional impact. The Goldfinch has been the biggest serious book release of the last year, and I was surprised with how much I enjoyed reading it, even when there was difficult sections to read. The plot follows Theo Decker and the tragic loss of his mother and his relationship with The Goldfinch, a priceless work of art he takes in the aftermath of the bombing that kills his mother. It is a modern Dickensian storyline that explores the themes of loss, beauty, art, luck, fate, self delusion when it comes to sin, and our personal tendencies towards sin and how difficult it can be to change once we discover our weaknesses. It's most definitely not a cut and dry take on morality, but it does an excellent job provoking a deeper introspection when it comes to human nature and what can change our lives for better or worse. I think it will prove to be a classic.




The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

This was such a great, light-hearted, yet endearing book I can't help but recommend it. It's a romance that centres around the eccentric Don Tillman who probably lives with undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome. The story is seen through his quite wonderfully odd world view that brings to life a hilarious, yet very touching love story that is entertaining but also speaks to what it means to love in a very thoughtful way.








Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas


A massive, yet very well done biography of a leading German Protestant theologian and minister during the Nazi era. I admit I skimmed a lot of chapters, but what stuck out for me was the family culture of Bonhoeffer growing up which produced three sons who stood up to Nazism to the point of death very beautifully portrayed. Also; it was really interesting to read about the effect of faith mixed within a nationalistic culture. Hitler used the German church for his own benefit and then turned upon it with the cooperation of much of the church hierarchy until the very end. Bonhoeffer saw how Hitler's philosophy and politics was toxic to Jews, and in turn Christians, and the need for Christianity to defend and stand up to him, but so many church leaders looked past this for the sake of maintaining a German church. It really shows the wisdom of Christ founding a universal Church, one not dependent on geography, race, or nationality. The historic context is very well done, I felt as if I learnt so much German history by simply reading along.



The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley

I admit I didn't make it through this one but enjoyed the writing. I love a good royal biography, but I simply couldn't make it through the decades of romantic escapades that are described in full detail. I think it must be a difficult topic to try and tackle so I'm in full admiration of the writers who research and try to make sense of the Victorian era, and especially Edward who was really a singular figure of his time. Much like Prince Charles now, it was a difficult spot to live a perpetual life of waiting to ascend the thrown but never being given any experience or opportunity to gain experience in ruling. I wish I could have made it to the point in the book where he becomes king, but maybe I'll try again sometime. Oh, and Victoria was a very complicated monarch, and her mothering style is one that is not to be imitated whether you're a royal or not!





Persuasion by Jane Austen

Reading every Jane Austen novel in a year is so much fun! I thought I'd get bored, but we're half way through now and I can honestly say that reading a little Jane a day makes me a much happier person!

And would you look at that - FIVE books to talk about...I guess I'll have to drop by Hallie's and so should you! Since it's What We're Reading Wednesday I'll have to link up with the lovely Jessica too! 

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What I Wore Sunday, before falling down the stairs

Since I'm wearing a new dress and haven't posted an outfit in ages, might as well post today on this belated Feast of the Ascension!

Dress: Modcloth

Denim Jacket:  Old Navy

Shoes: Just Old

 

I'm naming this dress my Joan dress because the crazy retro pattern just screams Joan to me.

I watch a lot of Mad Men ok?!

Right after the lovely Gemma photographed me and my cute dress, I changed into some schlubby shorts because I thought I'd get some a sundry painting and gardening done outside. But first the entryway rug was filthy and begging to be cleaned and stored away for the summer so I thought I'd throw it on the stairs to the deck and hose it off quickly. It took only a minute, I turned to walk down the four or five steps to the lawn and slipped, falling on my back and down the rest of the steps. I fell banana-peel style and have been laid up since. I'm fairly certain it's just badly, badly bruised and nothing is seriously damaged but most of my back is so very sore. I'm hoping I'll be able to walk and sit by tomorrow morning or else...there's going to be a lot of cartoons around here.

And since I'm lying here on a beautiful Sunday afternoon - Kendra's questions for the week:

1. Do I have a smart phone?

I'm sure if you put up with my Instas ad nauseum you know it to be true! I probably love it more than I should. And I almost never talk on it unless I'm driving, with bluetooth of course! But I do text my friends more than speak to them on the phone, because it's just easier with 5 kids constantly needing things. I wish I could just speak face to face, but I'd rather keep in touch any way I can!

2. Which is your favourite meal?

I think I like snacking more than a meal these days. Mostly because it's just less work for me. If hummus and french bread were a meal that might be my fave. But I'll go with breakfast, but eaten after being awake for several hours. I reeeally enjoy brunch. Breakfast food, but not early! 

3. Shower or Bath?

Bath. Bath. Bath, bath. When we moved into our little house right after we were married the upstairs main bathroom's shower wasn't functioning at all. We thought it a major inconvenience and spent months searching plumbing stores for the proper piece that would fix the malfunctioning shower spigot. But by the time we found the part we were both hooked on baths. I shower maybe once a week and bath 6 times a week! It's a perfect proportion. We have a beautifully deep bathtub though, and having a good bath tub is now on the must-have list for future homes.

4. Think of a person you love. How many days have you been in love with that person?

I don't know the exact date, because I can't remember a time where I wasn't in love with my husband. (Gah. So much public affection, I'm disgusting myself. ;) ) But I'll go with over ten years ago, the date we officially began dating, June 25, 2003 = 3994 days.  A little over a third of my life. Not too shabby, I'm up for many more! 

5. What's the best church you've been inside? 

It would probably be St. Peter's just because I haven't been to too many extravagant places and because I can't pick a church from Rome, because there's too many! I wish I had spent enough time in Europe to get to know one particularly spectacular Church. Because there really is nothing like becoming familiar with the beauty of a particular church. Like dear St. Hedwig's in Barry's Bay where I spent many a quiet moment, and daily Mass during university...lovely!

6. Happy Feast of the Visitation! Has anyone ever come to help you? 

My mom has always come to help me out with my babies. Of course, she doesn't have to leave the comfort of her own home, she just walks down the road, so it's especially wonderful for me! But we all know I'd be hooped without the help, and I think that on a daily basis! Especially though, those tough few months after Gemma was born and I was never sleeping, and recovering from a rough birth, and had so many complications getting used to motherhood. It was all a blur so really, my mom rescued me there! Thanks be to God, and Mary's intercession I'm sure! 

Visit the FLAP ladies for better outfits and Kendra for better answers!

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